Rocket powered aerial vehicle



Dec; 17, 1957 i INVENTOR RIGHARD JOHN MYLOR ATTORNEYS R. J. TAYLOR ROCKET POWERED AERIAL VEHICLE Filed Sept. 15, 1953 ROCKET POWERED AERIAL VEHICLE Richard John Taylor, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application September 15, 1953, Serial No. 380,380

4 Claims. (Cl. 244-74) This invention relates generally to aerial vehicles and more particularly to an improved rocket engine for an aerial vehicle.

The conventional rocket engine employs a solid propel lant fuel in the form of a grain or several grains which may be designed for end burning. A grain designed for end burning is characterized by even burning to produce a constant thrust throughout the life of the grain. However, the ordinary end burning grain in being consumed causes a shift in the center of gravity of an aerial vehicle propelled by the grain. Such a shift upsets the optimum conditions for which the vehicle was designed and brings into play aerodynamic forces which affect the steering control of the vehicle.

It is customary in the construction of aerial vehicles to locate wing surfaces at the center of gravity. In general, the center of gravity is positioned in the heaviest portion of the vehicle which in most cases is that containing the propulsion system. A rocket powered vehicle, therefore, is generally constructed with wing surfaces mounted on that area of the vehicle constituting the rocket engine. A serious problem is presented, however, in attaching wings to a rocket engine because of the corrosive effects of hot combustion gases normally produced in the operation of the engine. This problem is further complicated if wing control apparatus is to be employed for varying the attitude of the wings.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a rocket engine having a substantially stable center of gravity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rocket engine in which combustion gases normally produced in operation are handled in such a manner that their corrosive effect is restricted.

Further objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become evident from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a rocket powered aerial vehicle; and

Fig. 2 is an axial section of the main body of the aerial vehicle shown in Fig. l, particularly illustrating the rocket engine constituting the present invention.

Referring now to Fig l, the aerial vehicle shown therein has a center of gravity 11 and includes a hollow main body 12, wings 13 mounted on said main body at the center of gravity 11 and tail fins 14 mounted on the rear end portion of the main body.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the body 12 comprises four sections. The forwardmost section includes a casing 15, in the shape of an ogive forming the nose of the body 12. A compartment 16 is defined by the casing 15 and is adapted to accommodate a warhead and/ or guidance instrumentation.

The section next to the rear of the casing 15 is a cylindrical shell 17 constituting a forward combustion chamber 18. The shell 17 is constructed with a hemispherical forward end wall 19 and a hemispherical rear end wall 21 having an opening 22. The forward end wall 19 is formed with an external annular shoulder 23 for receiving the rear end of the casing 15 and for connecting said casing to the shell 17, by way of welding, riveting or by other suitable means. The rear end wall 21 is similarly formed with an external annular recess 24 for connecting the shell to the section next rearward, to be described hereinafter. A propellant grain 25, cylindrically shaped with an axial bore 26, is disposed in the chamber 18. As shown in Fig. 2, the grain 25 fills the rear and intermediate portions of the shell 17 but ends short of the forward end wall 19 in a transverse burning surface 27 confronting said forward end wall.

Immediately to the rear of the shell 17 there is positioned a cylindrical casing 28 constructed with wing sockets 29 on its intermediate portion and defining a cell 30 for the accommodation of wing control and other apparatus. The wing sockets 29 mount wings on the body 12 and may be adapted to permit wing movements induced by the wing control apparatus contained in the cell 30. The forward end of the casing 28 is received by the annular shoulder 24 in the shell 17 for attachment to said shell in any suitable manner.

The rearmost section of the body 12 comprises a second cylindrical shell 32 constituting a rearward combustion chamber 33. Thes hell 32 is constructed with a hemispherical forward end wall 34 having an opening 35, and with an exhaust nozzle 36 at its rear end. The forward end wall 34 is formed with an external shoulder 37 which receives the rear end of the cylindrical casing 28 and is attached thereto by any appropriate securing medium. A propellant grain 38 having an axial bore 39 and disposed within the shell 32 fills the forward and intermediate portions of said shell but ends short of the nozzle 36 in a fiat burning surface 41 which confronts said nozzle.

In order to provide gas transfer communication between the combustion chambers 18 and 33, a tube 42, made of a heat resistant material, communicates with the forward combustion chamber 18 and extends, axially of the missile, into the rear combustion chamber 33. More specifically, the tube 42 passes through the axial bore 26 of the grain 25 and the opening 22 into the casing 28. It extends axially through the casing 28 and enters the rear combustion chamber 33 through the opening 35, whereupon it extends along the bore 39 of the grain 38 to communicate with the chamber 33.

The rocket engine of this invention, therefore, comprises the forward combustion chamber 18 containing the propellant grain 25, the rear combustion chamber 33 containing the propellant grain 38 and the gas transfer tube 42 providing communication between said combustion chambers. In operation, the grain 25 in the forward chamber 18 burns rearwardly, from the burning surface 27, and the combustion gases thereby produced are conducted through the tube 42 to the rear chamber 33. The grain 38 in the rear chamber 33 burns forwardly from the burning surface 41. The combustion gases from both combustion chambers, 18 and 33, combine and efliux through the exhaust nozzle 36, thus providing a propulsive thrust.

By dividing the propellant grain of the rocket engine in the manner described above, it is possible to safely mount the wing sockets 29 or other wing attaching means at the center-of-gravity of said engine. In addition, such an arrangement also permits the convenient location of guidance and/or wing actuating equipment proximate to the wing sockets and wings.

It can be seen that the center-of-gravity 11 of the rocket engine of this invention will remain substantially in the same position during the burning of the propellant grains 25 and 38. This feature is of utmost importance 2,816,721 Patented Dec. 17, 1957 agsienel .0 when the engine is used as the propulsivesystem in an aerial vehicle.

The propulsive thrust produced by this improved rocket engine tcisngreatly. increased-over a conventional rocket engine-10f equal -.cross.-seetional -.dimensions. Ihis-will .be understood)fromithetfactythatttwosurfaces .on athe .propellant zgrains, 271and-41,-.of the improved engine :burn to produce a'rgreater :volume of comhustion gases and .a higher pressure. Thus, sthe combustion v gases sefliux flrroughztheeexit nozzle withza; greater momentumrto producezan :increased thrust, .whercas the-conventionabrocket engine .:employs a ,propellantr; grain which burns fromv .a singleisurfaceonly, therebyproducing :a smaller volume of combustion gases 28.12 .lower pressures, "with ithe ,result that lthe. thrust. of the :conventional; rocket-engine .is smaller.

Obviously many modifications and .vvariations 10f rthe present invention are possible-;in..the;light 'of .the above teachings. It--. is-.therefore?to'be understood that within the scope-of %the appended claims ttherinvention may be practiced.v otherwise 'thanvas ispecifically described.

":Whatis-claimed is:

- 1. :lntcombination with an aerial :Vehicle .having two pairsrofwings-arranged in a cruciform configuration and pivotally mountedon'the bodyofisaidwehicle at the center or gravity'thereof and two-pairs of tailtfins mounted on the rear end of said bodyuofsaidcvehiclqla rocket engine located ;in:said vehicle body, sai'clzenginedncluding spaced forward vand rearward combustion chambers containing combustiblematerial, said combustioncharnbers and combustible material being located :substantially symmetrical with.-respect' to thezcentcr of saidavehicle, s-aid combustible material v.of said forward combustion chamber being .ar-

ranged to burn rearwardly ofsaid vehicle and said combustible material of said rearward combustion chamber being arranged to burn forwardly of said vehicle, a rearwardly directed nozzle connected to said rearward combustion chamber, and means including a transfer tube for conducting combustion gases generated upon ignition of said combustible material -from said forward combustion chamber toasaidrreanward.comhustionzchamberrfor efilux through said nozzle, whereby upon burning of said cornbustible material in -saidcombustion chamberm-f the center of gravity-of saidwhicle" remains-'substantially ingthe'sarne position.

2. :Ansarrangementzassset torthiinzclairn LMheminFsaid combustion chamber-sate cylindricaliin shape.

3. An arrangement assebforth dn claim 2, wherein said combustion chambers have hemispherical end walls.

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein structure, .is provided between @saidscombustion. chambers to define andntermediate \charnber'ifor: receiving guidance and control equipment, including means for attachingsaid two pairs of wings rtosaidvehicle.

.References (Iitedimthe, filerofthis patent .zI-JNIIEED':STA'FES D. 171,293 "Boyd -JJanfllQ, I954 2,206f809 Denofix 1uly2; 19'40 .EQREIGN .rnrems 580,598 France 'Sept.-4,

.1 ,0123120 firance Apr. 16, 11952 OTHER REFERENCES Popular: Science-,.=Dec. 11.9743, page .67. 

